Whale attacks: Exclusion zone to curb incidents between sailors and orcas

It is the middle of the night when three killer whales attack the ship of Hamburg skipper Fred Hermsdorf and his crew off the coast of southern Spain. The orcas repeatedly ram against the keel and block the rudder. Only 30 minutes later is the spook over. That was at the beginning of July.

What the German sailors experienced not far from the Strait of Gibraltar is now being observed with great concern by international scientists: incidents are occurring again and again along the Iberian Atlantic coast. In 2020, orca attacks were reported for the first time. In July of this year, the figures shot up again.

The Spanish Ministry of Transport pulled the ripcord at the beginning of August and closed a particularly affected sea area on the Costa de la Luz in the south of the country. The closure, which according to official information was in force until yesterday, 20 August, applied in the area two to nine nautical miles off the coast between Cape Trafalgar and the southern Spanish port of Barbate.

Specifically, according to the Spanish Ministry, the restricted area is defined by the following coordinates:

- 36 08.0 N, 006 02.0 W

- 36 08.0 N, 005 55.5 W

- 36 02.0 N, 006 02.2 W

- 36 06.5 N, 005 52.9 W

- 36 01.5 N, 005 59.0 W

It is not yet clear whether the closure of the area will now be extended. However, it is unlikely that such a step will be taken. The number of reported incidents is According to the responsible scientific working group, "Orca Atlántica", the number of fish in the area declined sharply in August.

But what is behind the attacks? YACHT spoke to affected crews and scientists about the mysterious behaviour of the marine mammals. Ship designers and yacht insurers also explain what ship owners can expect in the event of a whale attack.

You can read all about this in the new issue of YACHT (18/2021; can be ordered directly here ).